Tied by bonds

RAYMOND'S POV

I couldn’t sleep.

I mean, how could I?

I still replayed that moment in my head, over and over again.

And yet it did not make any sense.

It was my fault for trying to find a viable reason for my boss to bite my neck.

As I stood in front of my mirror, my fingers hesitantly fastening the buttons of my shirt, I eyed the bite mark that decorated my neck, like a sore reminder of what the hell I got myself into.

Today was my first day at work, yet the excitement I felt had withered away, crushed by a mix of confusion and anxiety.

Jude Perez.

That was the name of the CEO, a man of high caliber and status, and I, Raymond White, would be working for him.

I stared blankly at my reflection, my green eyes scanning my outfit for any malfunctions.

I fiddled with my brown hair, heaving out a sigh and my fingers brushed against the bite mark while I smoothed my collar.

I winced slightly at the contact. It still stung less than yesterday, but the dull ache lingered beneath the surface of my skin.

What exactly was that?

My mind flashed back to the image of his blood-stained lips, and a shiver ran down my spine.

Biting and sucking blood wasn’t normal.

It wasn’t human….it’s…

Could the CEO be….

I shook the thought from my head before it could settle.

No way.

No way that was real.

There had to be some weird explanation.

Maybe it was a hazing ritual?

A dominance thing?

A sick joke?

Yeah.

Let’s go with that.

Grabbing my bag, I left the apartment, my steps faltering as I bumped into my neighbor Sylvia.

She gave me a warm smile, and my cheeks warmed.

Of all the times to run into my crush.

“Good morning, Ray.”

She turned to me, panting slightly.

She was dressed in workout clothes, probably back from her early morning jog.

I did my best to keep my eyes off her chest as it rose and fell.

She has full bosoms.

“G-Good morning, Sylvia.”

“I heard you landed your new job. Congratulations!” She beamed, her brown eyes sparkling.

I shifted uncomfortably in my spot, sheepishly rubbing the back of my neck.

“Thank you.”

My voice was small, and I internally cringed at myself.

Sylvia gave me a comforting pat on my shoulder, “Take me out with your first paycheck okay.”

She mused, then with a final wave, she disappeared through the door of her apartment.

I stood there, my heart beating erratically in my chest.

Did she….just ask me out?

I fought the urge to jump in joy, settling for a wide grin and a fist pump.

Sylvia was the bell of the neighborhood, kind, caring, smart,  beautiful—beautiful.

I had liked her since the day she knocked on my door to introduce herself, bearing a box of homemade cookies.

I was okay with admiring her from afar, but maybe I could have a chance.

My mood shifted at the thought of it, and I had forgotten about what awaited me for a moment.

But then I arrived at the office, my nerves bundled up like a ball of tangled yarn.

I raised my hand and knocked.

"Come in," his baritone voice called from behind the separating wood.

Suddenly my legs felt heavy, but I forced them to move, gulping.

A wave of heat suddenly washed over me the moment I took a step into the office.

My body temperature spiked, and I began to nervously tug at my collar.

Jude was sitting behind his table with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"About time," he said. "Aren't you uncomfortable?" He asked.

And on cue, the bite mark that he had left on my neck began to burn.

It was instantly throbbing with strange sensations that rapidly coursed through my veins and made me gasp.

What was this feeling?

"Close the door behind you, Raymond," the CEO ordered with a smirk.

I turned and obeyed him with my hand trembling as I pushed the door shut.

And the moment the door clicked shut, the pain in my neck intensified.

I began to hear ringing in my ears, my throat growing dry as I staggered, catching myself against the wall.

"Now, that is how you should feel after not seeing me for a while," I heard his voice, despite all the noise in my ear.

"W-what's happening to me?" I managed to stammer between breaths that were coming out in short, ragged bursts.

My entire body was on fire.

But it wasn't entirely painful.

This was because there was something else that was mixed in with the pain.

It was a peculiar and unwelcome form of pleasure that made my cheeks flush hot with embarrassment.

Jude set his cup down and came to me.

He caught my chin in his palms and lifted my head to meet his mismatched eyes.

They were gleaming with amusement as he watched me struggle.

"What are you doing to me?" I demanded as his lips curled into a satisfied smirk.

"I am just fascinated by how quickly it has taken effect," he murmured. "Tell me, Raymond, how do you feel right now?"

"I feel on fire, like I am burning from the inside," I admitted.

It was that mark.

All of these feelings were emanating from the place he had bitten me.

I pressed my fingers against the mark on my neck. "What did you do to me?"

He drew me to him.

It was close enough for me to catch a soft drink of his expensive cologne and something else that felt rather intoxicating.

This proximity only served to intensify whatever was happening to my body.

"I marked you," he said simply, and he slowly brushed his fingers over the bite.

I jerked at the contact, but my eyes widened as a shameful moan left my lips before I could stop it.

I was horny, for a man?

"What you are experiencing is the first phase of the bond."

"Bond? What bond?" I tried to back away, but my legs felt weak.

Jude's eyes darkened. "I didn't hire you to be my assistant, Raymond. I did so because you're my kin."

"You're what?" I asked in confusion. "I do not understand."

"Of course you don't," he mused, "because you are not I."

"And what are you?" I whispered as something warm ran down my spine.

"Let me be clear to you. I am a vampire, Raymond."

I shook my head, unable to believe that what I had thought was true.

"That's... that's not true," I murmured.

He chuckled.

"Your rare blood is compatible with my vampire system. I need you."

I stared at him with slit eyes while waiting for the punchline to this sick joke. But when none came, I instantly bolted for the door in terror.

He let go of me, willingly, and my legs gave out just as I collapsed to my knees.

"You can't leave," Jude said calmly. "This office is sealed and none goes in or out without my permission."

And suddenly, I could not breathe anymore.

I felt like I was alive and breathing, but still choking on oxygen.

My eyes began to whirl.

"Please, save me," I gasped, my lungs burning.

I heard the click of his shoes as he came to crouch beside me.

"I don't need much. All you have to do is sign a piece of paper for me, and I will make you feel better," he proposed.

He produced a document from his pocket and placed it on the floor in front of me.

I tried to read the terms, but everything was so blurry, and I was cramping from the spasms that began to hit me.

"What... what does it say?" I asked him through gritted teeth.

"You will be bound to me. You shall provide me with your blood and in return enjoy the perks of working with me."

His voice gradually dropped to a whisper before the last word.

"And if I refuse?" I challenged, even when I already knew the answer.

"Raymond, all of the energy will slowly leave your body, and in a bit, you will die."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Because I can?" He shrugged. "I'm offering you a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"I..I," the word got caught in my throat.

"Only I can help you now, Raymond. If you sign it, you'll leave. If you don't, the pain will kill you anyway."

My fingers trembled as I reached for the pen and scrawled my signature.

"Now make it stop."

Jude pulled me flush against him with lightning speed that made me gasp.

"There are many ways to ease this pain," he murmured with his lips inches from mine. "But this is the most effective."

And before I could respond, he pressed his lips against mine.